


the rocking chair

by black_norse



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: 911, Do you call this angst?, Gen, TW: Death :P, TW: Mental Shock, anyway, enjoy this, happy birthday iain and jeff, inspired by buffy, just a normal grandpa grandson bonding fic, when fitzsimmons are old, you want angst?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-30
Updated: 2020-12-30
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:14:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,166
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28420773
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/black_norse/pseuds/black_norse
Summary: Just a 'very normal' day for Deke and Bobo.
Relationships: Deke Shaw & Jemma Simmons, Leo Fitz & Deke Shaw, Leo Fitz & Deke Shaw & Jemma Simmons, Leo Fitz/Jemma Simmons, Phil Coulson & Deke Shaw
Comments: 4
Kudos: 15





	the rocking chair

**Author's Note:**

> Another fic inspired by a Buffy episode :)  
> Happens decades after 7x13, when FitzSimmons are old enough to see kiddy Deke running around the grass.  
> big special thanks to [bad_ash10](https://archiveofourown.org/users/bad_ash10/pseuds/bad_ash10) for helping me edit this.

  
It was a very bright and warm sunny day, but Deke Shaw still wore his dark hoodie and black cap despite the sweat rolling down his face. He walked gracefully towards the door and did not bother to knock because his Bobo said so. He was expecting for something to smell like melted cheese sandwich and lemonade when he opened the door but it didn’t. He expected to see his Bobo in the kitchen, but he wasn’t there.

“Hey recovery man!!” Deke screamed. “I thought you’re gonna make us some snacks for my promotion day!”

Nobody answered. The room was still quiet.

“Mom and dad couldn’t come. They were very busy.”

He closed the door as he continued to walk down the hallway. “Bobo?” he called, but still, no answer. “Are we playing hide and seek again?” he snickered lightly. 

He checked the living room and no one was there -though, the television was still on. “Old man forgot to turn this off,” he reached for the remote to turn it off. 

“You’re playing tricks again, silly Bobo.” he laughed, like this day was just very normal, in fact, it is. Or was it?

He checked most of the house, and he still yet had to check Fitz’s bedroom. The door there was the only one closed. “Aha, I know you’re in there.” 

Deke pushed on the door and called his name again after opening it. “Bobo?”

He still didn’t see his Bobo. He looked all over the place, the unused bathroom, the well-made bed, the rocking chair…wait, the rocking chair. The back of it faced him, but Deke knew it was already him sitting on that chair- he could see his legs below. 

“There you are…” he cheered as he walked nearer and approached him. He was very happy to finally see his Bobo, sitting on the rocking chair, looking at the tree outside, very focused, steady and quiet. “Bobo, you’re here. Nice tree, huh.”

The old man didn’t move on his chair or respond.

“Doing a meditation session, huh?” Deke managed to grin for a few seconds before it slowly fadedwhen Fitz still didn’t respond to him. “Bobo? I’m here.”

Then he noticed Fitz looked much paler than normal. His eyes were stationary. His skin…Deke touched his hand…it was very cold…as cold as ice. That’s when he knew something wasn’t right.

“Hey, Bobo?”

“Bobo, are you still there?”

“Bobo!”

“Grandpappy?”

“Hey, hey!”

“This is not a good joke.”

He soon choked on his own tears as he realized what it meant. Deke’s eyes were wide and he swallowed deeply, blinking repeatedly to make sure if this was a dream or not. 

It wasn’t a dream. . The body….the body was still there in front of him, lying on the chair. He soon panicked and began hyperventilating, and he couldn’t control himself.

“Bobo. Bobo. Hey, BOBO!!!”

* * *

* * *

"Thanks," Fitz said as he received a cup of coffee from someone behind him. He started stirring it even though the coffee looked already well-mixed, just wanted to make sure there were no particles that had settled at the bottom of the cup. He was sitting on a rocking chair that somehow eased his back pain. He wished he could turn back time where he could stand or easily pick up something from the floor. 

Right now, he had help from Alya, who's now grown up, and his son-in-law Owen, who always refused to let him walk alone. And there was Jemma who also felt weaker than him. Though she could move better than him, she had a cough that was very concerning. 

And then there was...the approaching school bus which he could see in front of him. A sound of the screeching breaks made him cover his ears as the bus stopped. The bus door opened and a little boy with his lunchbox and backpack stepped down the stairs, Fitz smiled broadly. He was excited to see the child exiting the school bus, but he waited for him to run towards him and shout his name...

" _Bobo!!"_

But he didn't. Fitz wondered why. 

The little boy, Deke, walked slowly and as he came nearer and nearer, Fitz noticed his flushed face with his wet, red eyes. Fitz felt very worried. He wanted to give him a hug, but even his cane cannot help him walk properly. Instead, he waited for the boy to be beside him so that he could greet him without shouting his tired voice. The sob got louder as Deke came nearer. 

"Hey, what's wrong, lemon boy?" Fitz asked as he extended his arms for a hug. 

"Bobo!" he cried louder and sobbed on Fitz’s shoulder. He tried to speak but his sniffles prevented him. 

"Why are you crying?" Fitz asked concernedly. "What the bloody hell happened?" he wiped the boy's tears using both of his thumbs.

"They called me a skunk bag." Deke sobbed louder, covering his eyes. "And a loser."

The old man patted him on the shoulder. "That's not true," he frowned and shook his head. "Do not believe what others say, they are just jealous of you. Remember, jealous people hate you because they want to be you. You are a smart and a very good kid!"

"Is that it...Bobo?"

"Yes," he moved his hand up above and stroked the boy's hair. "You are one of a kind. Keep that in mind."

The boy's cries eventually got softer as Fitz continued stroking his hair. Fitz even received a little grin after a few minutes. 

"Good, you're smiling," Fitz did the same. He felt the warmth on his chest as he felt the kid's approval. "If someone tells you that again, punch them in the face."

"Bobo, that's bad." 

"Just kidding." Fitz chuckled lightly, patting the Deke's head. "I hope your Nana didn't hear that, or else she'll be mad at me."

"Oh, yes I heard that" Jemma interjected from behind him. "Don't teach that to our grandson."

"Jemma," Fitz muttered. "It's just a joke."

The old lady came near the little boy and gave him a tight hug. "I missed you, sweetie. You're home now."

"Nana!!" Deke spoke softly, closing his eyes as his head touched her shoulder.

"Sorry, little Deke. I can't carry you, you're a big boy now."

He then released from the hug and didn't stop smiling as he looked at her. 

"Your Bobo is right. Don’t listen to those cowards. Just ignore them." she said.

"Okay, Nana," the boy giggled very loudly. 

"While your mom and dad are busy in the kitchen right now, we are left here to look after you."

"That's right, Deke-y. We can play Monopoly if you want."

"Yay!!" the wooden floor made a loud creaking sound as the boy jumped up and down, but the two didn't mind seeing his joyful cheer in front of him.

* * *

"What?!! You failed your board exam?!!" Fitz raised his tone.

"Yeah, you heard it right," Deke scoffed and clicked his tongue. "I can't tell this to mom and dad."

"So...you just...expect to hide here in my house?"

"Yeah, I don't wanna hear them shout at me." He sat on the couch beside his Bobo. "At least you don't do that to me."

"Oh. Hmmm...You wish," he stared at Deke, all worried with his face full of sweat. "If my voice was better, I'd shout. When your mom was younger, I was extremely strict with her studies."

"Oh, at least Nana won't shout." Deke sighed heavily. "If she was still here with us, I would go to her instead of you."

"Deke."

"I'm such a disappointment" he leaned his head on a small pillow behind him defeatedly.

"What, are you gonna cry?" Fitz saw him close his eyes and he knew his tears were going to soon fall . He rubbed Deke’s shoulder for comfort. "Look, buddy, you're not a disappointment."

"I am."

"Shhh...a failed test doesn't make you one. Your life doesn't end because of that, gosh. Failing is normal."

"Oh, so you're not angry at me."

"I mean, I can't blame you for trying your best. Just study harder next time. Better things will come."

Deke moved towards him and held his right hand, giving him a grin. "I don't know what I would do without you, Bobo. Where would I go? I'm just very thankful you're still here. I miss Nana so much, I wish she was still here beside us."

"Me too, bud." Fitz’s voice with the emotion of hearing her name once again. "We're not done yet. You need to tell your parents about this."

"Bobo," Deke groaned. "I can't face them."

"You can do that,” He tapped on him, trying to motivate him.

“But can you go with me? We’ll go eat ice cream then drive over to them.”

“Sure, sure, no problem.”

* * *

* * *

_*beep*_

_*beep*_

_*beep*_

_*ringing tone*_

_“911 Emergenc-”_

“Hello.”

_“Hello, sir.”_

“My Bobo. My grand…my my granddad, he- he’s not breathing.”

_“Is he conscious?”_

“N-no. No. He’s not breathing.”

_“Okay, I need you to give me your address.”_

“What?”

_“I’m gonna send an ambulance over.”_

“0022 Marine Cres, Buckshaw Village. Um…um…it’s…a cottage, not-not so small cottage. Buckshaw. Uhmm…yeah. Near Whittle-le-Woods.”

_“I’m sending a unit right away. Are you alone in the house?”_

“Yes.”

_“Did you see what happened? Did he fall?”_

“No, no. I came home, and he- he, what should I do?”

_“Do you know how to administer CPR?”_

“No, I don’t remember.”

_“How old is your granddad?”_

“105…turning 106 this week.”

_“Oh, very healthy man. CPR is not recommended. Paramedics should be there soon. Doing CPR on elderly people have a very poor outcome. Don’t move the body, stay still.”_

“He’s cold.”

_“The body is cold?”_

“No, Bobo is cold!! Should I make him warm?”

_“No. The best thing is to wait for the paramedics, OK?”_

“When will they be here?”

_“They’re very nearby.”_

_…_

_…_

_…_

“I have to make a call.”

_*end call*_

_*beep*_

_*beep*_

_*beep*_

_*beep*_

_*beep*_

_*hanging phone tone*_

“Mom, dad, you have to answer.”

_*beep*_

_*beep*_

_*beep*_

_*beep*_

_*beep*_

_*beep*_

_*ringing tone*_

_“Hello? Fitz?”_

“Coulson, It’s Deke.”

_“Deke, hi. Long time, no talk. Good thing you called. My upper back needs a repair. Not malfunctioning though. Where’s your grandpa?”_

“He’s here.”

_“Good, let me tal-”_

“He’s cold. He is- he’s lying down.”

_“What do you mean?”_

“I need you to come. Mom and Dad aren’t answering.”

_“What happened? What happened to Old Fitz?”_

“He’s…I think...I think-"

_"You think...what?"_

"H-h-he’s dead.”

_“What? What? What? No. Wait for me, I’ll be there in a minute. Lola’s ready!!”_

_*end call*_

* * *

**_Six hours later…_ **

The balcony was very silent. He watched the sun set and the sky turned dark blue. He still can’t believe he haven’t even generated a loud sob. Deke heard his parents’ sob. The pain, he waited for the right moment to let it all out. Though he didn’t know when. He just needed time…and space. He felt very lost and didn’t know what he really felt. Soon, he felt a nudge on his back.

“Deke. I’m here.”

He turned around to see Coulson with his usual tux outfit. “Sir,” he called, giving him a half-smile. “You haven’t left yet?”

“Yeah.” he nodded. “We need to talk about what you said earlier.”

“About what?”

“The LMD thing,” Coulson sighed, showing dismay. As someone who got used to hearing that word, he still didn’t like hearing it.

“Yeah, right. I have the supplies to make an LMD version of Bob-”

“Deke,” Coulson said with a pat on his cold shoulder. 

“Is there a problem?” Deke asked curiously, tried to hide what he felt with a big smile. “Don’t worry, I can handle this.”

“Please, don’t.”

“Don’t?” he scoffed.

“Yeah, I don’t want another robot to end up like me. I’m this, techy being-”

“But I want him back, Coulson,” his grin started to feel forced, pulling away Coulson’s hand on his shoulder. “I want him back.”

“I’m sorry, Deke. That’s how life is. It ends. For decades, I watched my friends die. I have no choice but to accept it.”

“Well, I’m sorry, too.” he sniffled. “I’m not like you. I’m not used to someone dying. I’m a twenty five year old man who’s about to celebrate his promotion with my grandpa, who also waited for this to happen. He was my best supporter alongside Nana and then now he’s there, cold and motionless. How? How can I get through this?!!” he screamed with his hoarse voice and finally began to sob.

Coulson quickly pulled him for a tight hug, letting him cry on his shoulder. “I’m sorry you have to go through this.”

“Nana and Bobo are both gone. I just…I just couldn’t accept it.”

“But you have to. Even though they’re gone, you’re not alone yet. You still have your mom and dad, and me, okay?” Coulson rubbed his back comfortingly as he continued sobbing. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading!!


End file.
